Convention Attendance: A Gender Perspective

The number of people attending conventions is growing worldwide, yet there are gaps in our knowledge of convention attendee behaviour. Drawing upon social role theory, the purpose of this study was to identify the role that gender might have in the convention attendance decision. The findings revealed that although location was important for both males and females, money, timing and family/work responsibilities were more important on the decision to attend a convention for men. The results could help convention marketers attract more attendees by creating targeted messages specific to the needs of men and women.